Unlike pumpkin, butternut squash are available all year. Shaped like a large peanut, they have a sweet orange flesh. Roasting them first in the oven means that you don’t have to tackle removing the tough skin, and it fills the kitchen with a delicious aroma.
Ingredients
- 3 small butternut squash, about 1.6kg (3 ½ lb) total weight
- About 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Freshly grated nutmeg
- 25g (1oz) butter
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 large sticks celery, sliced
- 2.5cm (1 inch) root ginger, grated
- 1.1-1.3 litres (2-2 ¼ pints) vegetable or chicken stock
- Sprig of fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dry
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6.
- Cut the butternut squash in half lengthways, scoop out the seeds with a metal spoon and discard. Arrange the squash halves cut side up in a roasting tin just big enough to hold the squash in a single layer and drizzle over the olive oil. Season each squash half with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg. Pour 150ml (1/4 pint) water around the squash. Cook in the preheated oven for about 1 ¼ hours, basting occasionally, until the squash are very tender. Allow to cool.
- Melt the butter in a large pan and add the onion, carrot, celery and grated ginger. Cook for 5-10 minutes until beginning to soften. Add the stock, rosemary and seasoning, bring to the boil then partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.
- When cool enough to handle scoop the flesh from the squash and add to the pan. Blend the vegetables in a liquidiser or food processor until smooth. (If you use a food processor, it is easier to process the vegetables with a little of the liquid, adding the remaining liquid to the processed vegetables to make the soup.)
- Taste for seasoning and serve hot with crusty bread.
